Multimodal Accessibility Framework

REthinking how we approach and solve for common urban planning problems

Nearly all of us seek to reach places we need and want to go within a reasonable amount of time. Trying to meet that goal influences so many of our personal decisions; such as where to live and work, whether to walk, bike, take the bus or drive, when to leave, whether or not to stop along the way to get something else done, etc. It also influences business decisions; such as locating in a place where an ample number of skilled employees can easily commute, and having enough roof tops within a ten minute walk or drive. The collective outcome of our decisions results in recognizable metropolitan development patterns and travel networks, and influences land values and rents.

The ability to reach destinations in a reasonable amount of time, or accessibility, has a pervasive and persuasive reach. City planning models have long relied on it to predict how cities will grow and people will travel. While it drives the forecasts of powerful planning tools, it hasn't been applied to diagnose planning problems or identify and evaluate potential solutions. But that is changing, and Renaissance Planning is eagerly rethinking the possibilties of accessibility. Take a peek below to see what we are finding.